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What am I doing here? It’s one of those hurrier-I-go-the-behinder-I-get sorts of weeks, but we all need a fresh thread from time to time.

At least I’m making time for exercise, y’know? Today was a crisp morning, very unseasonable for July, but I was out early on the bike and rode as hard and fast as I dared for 50 minutes. The reward was this:

Seconds before this shot, the rising sun was peeking out of the clouds, reflected in a pink stripe on the water. In the time it took me to fumble my camera out of my saddlebag, it was gone. Still, a very pretty morning. Not one regret about getting up at 5:45 a.m.

So, you’re a millionaire rock star, playing a triumphant sold-out show at a beautiful theater in your hometown, where the fans love you and all the rest of it. So what do you do? If you’re Jack White, complain:

Having launched the evening with a typically scorching roar, depositing hot, gnarled guitar into the one-two punch of “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” and the new “High Ball Stepper,” White soon became visibly displeased with the standing crowd’s lack of intensity in what he wanted to be a symbiotic affair.

Road manager Lalo Medina had already pleaded the case before show time, taking the stage and asking fans not to sit down or distract themselves with cell phone cameras.

Sure enough, just a half-hour in — after trying everything from a galloping “Hotel Yorba” to an acoustic reading of “Temporary Ground” with Lillie Mae Rische on harmony and Dominic Suchyta on upright bass — White summoned his stagehands. And with a quick “Thanks, God bless you,” he had the curtains pulled.

Several restless minutes passed before White and his five-piece band returned, ripping into “Fell in Love With a Girl” as White gestured at the crowd to engage. He soon paused to alternately tease and cajole the audience in the ornate room.

“I know as Detroiters you can overcome comfortable seating and beautiful lighting to make something as real as possible,” he said.

I guess it got better from there, but man, what a control freak.

Open thread today, obviously. (What am I saying? It’s open every day.) And happy Wednesday. I remembered this time.

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63 responses to “Lavender lake.”

In the middle of the baseball game from Chavez Ravine, Los Angeles, the team put on a display on the scoreboard with loud music and Spanish speaking players informing the crowd, followed by an English translation, that Dodgers telecaster Vin Scully will be returning in 2015 for his 66th season of doing Dodger games, both in Brooklyn and LA. I have only known one other octogenarian as smooth and witty and totally-in-command of his faculties as Vinny, and that’s old Bert Wolfe, the WWI veteran I befriended back in 1979.

Joe Kobiela said on July 30, 2014 at 7:24 am

Who the hell is Jack White?
Pilot Joe

Basset said on July 30, 2014 at 7:52 am

Some frizzy-headed ego case who the hipsters think is really special, and apparently he does too – he seems to come up in every story about how modern and culturally with-it Nashville has become.

Exercise… our parks dept. Is doing a walk 100 miles over the summer promotion, log your walks on a website and at 100 you get a t-shirt. As of yesterday I am at 97.95, weather and work allowing I will get there tonight.

brian stouder said on July 30, 2014 at 8:26 am

Basset – you are the man!

I think I walk a lot in the course of a normal week, but if it was logged, the total would probably be unimpressive…

brian stouder said on July 30, 2014 at 10:19 am

I’m with Joe – never heard of this rock-star guy named Jack; so I Googled him, and tripped across this article from yesterday –

I was going to copy/paste the lead, but the whole article is one paragraph and a half, and this Jack sounds…off:

Jack White was on hand to throw out the first pitch at the Detroit Tigers- Chicago Cubs game, looking just as down in the dumps as ever. Still no word on what he’s so sad about. Maybe he misses his former wife and band mate, Meg White and is too proud to admit it. Maybe he’s sad because nothing’s really been the same since the White Stripes broke up. How long ago was that anyway? Three years? An eternity? WHO CAN TELL?

The pitch wasn’t the greatest. Maybe he was sad be cause he knew it wasn’t going to be a good throw and he could feel it in the wind up.

Julie Robinson said on July 30, 2014 at 10:28 am

Is this they guy who claimed his wife was his sister for many years before they admitted they were married and then got divorced? And why is that taking up space in my brain?

Jeff Borden said on July 30, 2014 at 10:29 am

Ah, even Jack White would love the weather we’re having in Chicago. More like San Diego. Sunny. . .warm but not hot. . .no humidity. . .downright cool in the evening. Heavenly. Windows open. A/C off. Screw you ComEd.

I have no idea why Mr. White acts so put upon, but he is an interesting musician and a helluva producer. His work on Wanda Jackson’s comeback was first-rate. Maybe he’s pining for Meg?

Journalism 101: A single photograph rarely tells the whole story. And I thought that Wanda Jackson collaboration was way overproduced, Jeff. Sorry.

nancy said on July 30, 2014 at 10:44 am

Oh, and P.S.: I was chatting with a friend this morning and mentioned Columbus, and he said, “I played my first out-of-town gig there, at a place called Crazy Mama’s.” Crazy Mama’s, where Jeff Borden and I destroyed many brain cells but still have beautiful memories, amirite?

I love Wanda Jackson so I’ll defend the production work, though you could argue with her pipes, you should just stand back and let `er rip.

Bruce Nutt is active on Facebook. He’s still a character and still presenting shows. I have nothing but fond memories of Crazy Mama’s, where you could hear Marvin Gaye, the Vibrators, Joan Jett and Ramones –just about anything that was rocking’– during a long night of dancing.

Joe Kobiela said on July 30, 2014 at 11:10 am

Sue, I had heard about that some years back, not my cup of tea. Rugby played well is a beautiful sport, lots of passing running tackling and most importantly scoring, both during the match and at the after match party.
Read up a bit on mister White, will credit him for being generous to Detroit, seems he has donated quite a bit, can’t really say I ever heard him play, maybe I have and just don’t know it.
Basset congratulation on the 100 miles.
Pilot Joe

There is a natural order that has been violated ever since the Reagan era: people who should be looking out the window of the trailer on a yard strewn with broken toys, gazing balls and a couple of pitbulls chained out to a tree are sitting in Southern governor’s mansions, and they’re so damned gutter sorry they’ve got to get someone to work their grift FOR them.

Minnie said on July 30, 2014 at 1:15 pm

Yeah, coozledad, it’s disheartening to wake up to front-page tittle-tattle about the McDonnell’s sorry excuse for a marriage and governorship. At least Bob and his perfect hair won’t be running any more political races.

coozledad said on July 30, 2014 at 1:40 pm

Minnie: It’s generally a tacit admission of guilt when perps start blaming their troubles on lesser, but embarrassing offenses. The testimony in this one’s going to be good.

Mrs. McDonnell testified that there was no way she could have conspired with her husband, because “The only thing he’s ever put up a woman is a ultrasound, and it took every Confederate in the house of delegates
to help him do that. Jonnie Williams was a real man. He give me this watch for a triple reverse cowboy. I ain’t seen such a piece of throbbing meat since we fired the sous-chef.”

coozledad said on July 30, 2014 at 1:41 pm

oops! Hope I closed them eye-talics.

brian stouder said on July 30, 2014 at 1:45 pm

Cooz beat me to it!

Ms Maddow, who I love, always refers to the disgraced former governor as “Governor Ultra-Sound” – and it will be interesting to hear how she reacts to this latest bit of news.

It’s almost Freudian that as the First Lady schtupped the Star Scientific guy, Governor McDonnell was actively advocating for mandatory probes into all women in his state who had unwanted pregnancies…!

coozledad said on July 30, 2014 at 1:49 pm

And how many times, Mrs. McDonnell, would you estimate Mr. Williams visited the Governor’s mansion to “bust up that chiffarobe”?

The word is used in the United States, primarily in the southern portion of the country, in Puerto Rico, and in Cuba. Its use has been attested as far apart as Georgia and Vermont. In those references, it was used as a water closet or potty (or more accurately a commode). The word has been used in Texas, but is not as common as its synonyms such as bureau or dresser.

In the Venture Bros. season one finale, “Return to Spider-Skull Island”, Dr. Thaddeus Venture is splitting his inheritance with his long-lost brother, and offers to give him “the old busted-up chifforobe”. In Reno911, Season 6 Episode 5, “Dangle’s Murder Mystery Dinner: Part 2″, Officer Jones is on a call where a woman needs Jones to help her ‘bust up a chifferobe’.

nancy said on July 30, 2014 at 2:27 pm

The reference, here, is to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and I’m still chuckling.

Dexter said on July 30, 2014 at 3:31 pm

Never heard of Jack White? Jesus…how’d you guys ever miss that? Well, if you watch or attend damn-nearly any sports event or political rally, and maybe especially any college football or basketball games, you have heard Jack White’s intro to “Seven Nation Army” about a thousand times by now. I can’t technically describe exactly what he does in that intro, but every college band director has picked up on it, and it is played many times during interludes in the action. And every high school football game will be scored by the intro to “Seven Nation Army”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY

Kirk said on July 30, 2014 at 3:36 pm

JeffB.@7, Dexter@22: Amen

The White Stripes did some of the only rock stuff I’ve paid attention to in the past couple of decades. And Jack was the guy behind the brilliant Loretta Lynn album “VanLear Rose” several years back.

If we dismissed all the artists who conduct themselves as assholes, there wouldn’t be many left.

Our (newly) 16 year old began her band camp this past Monday; we were freshly back from the 3,300 mile jaunt west, and it’s been 8-4 every day since then, for her

Dorothy said on July 30, 2014 at 4:02 pm

Speaking of To Kill a Mockingbird, I was reading the paper this morning and saw an obit for an 89 year old woman who died. Her last name made me hear this in my head: HEY MISS DU BOSE!!” “Don’t you say ‘hey’ to me, you ugly girl!!!”

Judybusy said on July 30, 2014 at 4:08 pm

Lalalalalala….I will have to ignore ugly stuff about Ginger Baker. Back in the day, my ex had his “Horses and Trees” album. I can still hear the opening bars. It’s really expensive to get, around $30 but I might have to bite the bullet. He made a trio with Bill Frissel, who I gushed about a couple weeks ago, and Charlie Haden. Really amazing playing.

Basset said on July 30, 2014 at 4:10 pm

I don’t generally watch sports, and I actively avoid football, so I have managed to miss “Seven Nation Army.”

All the Jack White I have heard came during some live at the White House show on PBS awhile back – was waiting to see Paul McCartney and said “who in the hell is THAT?”

I understand Macca gets paid, though, every time the Wisconsin Badgers play a football game – apparently one his publishing companies owns “On, Wisconsin.”

Most of my almost-100 miles has been done on that expletive-deleted greenway the parks department ran thirty yards from my back door – with just a little to go, though, I may get off the bus a stop late tonight and finish up in my work shoes.

Basset said on July 30, 2014 at 4:13 pm

Chiffarobe… heard that when we lived in Mississippi but not here. In Middle Tennessee that hot round thing on top of your stove is an “eye,” and you push your groceries around the store in a “buggy.”

Dave said on July 30, 2014 at 4:27 pm

Nope, don’t know it, Dexter. I’ve almost no knowledge of current music, I’m sadly behind about thirty years, minimum. Somewhere along the way, I lost interest in what I was once mad for. This morning, on the TODAY show, they were playing what they were calling the song of the summer, some bit of noise by Nicki Minaj and someone else, that didn’t sound all that good to me. Yeah, I’m old.

I see that Jack White became Jack White when he married Megan White. Gillis was his family name.

Judybusy said on July 30, 2014 at 5:11 pm

Basset, I just heard the term “eye” for the first time yesterday while interviewing an African-American client. her daughters, raised in Indiana, used the same term when I spoke to them. Oh, congrats on your 100 miles!

MarkH said on July 30, 2014 at 5:18 pm

Dave, thanks for that. I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one behind because I lost interest. Maybe not 30 years worth, but I’m with you. It’s so bad that I’ve even lost interest in some of my old country faves, so was not aware of any album by Loretta that may be that avant garde, thanks to White or anyone else. My younger sister keeps me up-to-date on most music, but she is WAY ahead of me.

Speaking of baby sis, both her boys wanted to take after Uncle Mark, so were both into drumming high school. The attended a drum symposium conducted by Ginger Baker when he lived in Colorado about 20 years ago. They liked him fine. Baker was great, but not one of my all-time faves.

We’re staying in a cute cabin in the Black Hills, just for the night. Tomorrow we’ll be in Wyoming, we’ll hike the Big Horn mountains.

I went to a White Stripes concert in St. Louis, loved it. My husband and I saw a documentary with, Jack White, Jimmy Page and The Edge called “It Might Get Loud”, was very entertaining. And by the way does anyone else think that Jimmy Page looks better as an old man than he did as a young man. I think he’s quite attractive now.

Suzanne said on July 30, 2014 at 10:03 pm

I never heard of Jack White either until his angry face picture at the cubs game went viral.

I GOT the chiffarobe quote!

Minnie said on July 30, 2014 at 10:21 pm

Cooz @ 17: Land sakes, what our betters do get up to.

The first time I ever got up the nerve to post here was when the Virginia General Assembly passed that ultrasound bill. Fortunately there are several groups in the state that fight to rescind restrictions on reproductive rights.

I do have a chifferobe that I do not need busted up.

Dexter said on July 31, 2014 at 2:06 am

How do you folks keep up with TV series you like? Here’s what I mean…last year I watched CBS’ “Under the Dome”, and then I guess season 2 has started and may be over, but I never saw any mention of S2 commencing, so I missed it. Either Sundance or IFC has a series called “Rectify” that I was caught up in, then S2 started without me having a clue it was on again. This happens a a lot because I don’t watch many cable shows other than the few I really like, and the sports channels don’t advertise much for the entertainment programming. Also, some of the cable channels do not offer OnDemand replays.

Sherri said on July 31, 2014 at 3:21 am

The perils of live theatre – the largest theatre of the three at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is an outdoor theatre seating about 1200. There have been thunderstorms popping up around here. Yesterday, a storm came through but cleared up about 20 minutes before showtime, so we got to see Richard III with no problem. Tonight, though, Into the Woods started, but about 45 minutes into the show, here came the thunder and lightning. The show continues during rain as long as it’s safe for the actors, but lightning is a different story, of course, so they had to pause the show. I’ve sat through many a rain delay at baseball games, but this is my first rain delay at a musical! The storm passed, and 45 minutes later, the show resumed. A good production, too, worth the rain delay.

Fortunately I’ve now seen all the outdoor shows, and only have indoor shows remaining. Tomorrow is The Great Society, the followup to All The Way, the LBJ play I’ve raved about (that just won a Tony on Broadway.) The Great Society just premiered last weekend, and then I’ll get to see both All The Way and The Great Society this fall at Seattle Rep. Come on out to Seattle, Brian, and I’ll take to the shows!

brian stouder said on July 31, 2014 at 8:10 am

Sounds great!

We got rained on (drenched!) at Wind Cave National Park – after we were done spelunking.

It was well worth it, but it was the most blinding, overwhelming, frog-strangling downpour I’ve ever been caught in.

We got to the van, and Pam peeled her shirt off (which I found distracting!) – and I pointed out that, although I had no objection, we were a ways from Sturgis!

basset said on July 31, 2014 at 8:31 am

Thanks for the bird link, Dexter… Mrs. B. is from that area (Portage) and will find it interesting.

Finished the 100 miles last night and intend to keep going… this does not count regular walking during the day, just recreational walks in the park and such.

Brian, when Mrs. B. first met my family we were scheduled to come out for Sunday dinner but a caving trip outside Bloomington went long and we were about five hours late. didn’t go over well but improved from there.

brian stouder said on July 31, 2014 at 8:42 am

Wind Cave was fascinating; I’d never been in a cave before – and this one goes on and on and on, although the portion they lead tours through is nicely lit and quite beautiful.

At one point, the tour comes to stop in an impressively large space, and the ranger gives her talk and points out several things, and then…. they turn off the lights.

I’ve never seen such an impenetrable darkness

Julie Robinson said on July 31, 2014 at 10:12 am

We went to caves several times when I was a kid, and now, the thought fills me with dread. Apparently I have developed a bit of claustrophobia in the intervening years. The total darkness trick is something I still remember as being way cool.

Dexter, if you’re on Facebook you can find your show and like its page, then you will get updates. We watch almost everything on Hulu+ and Netflix since we don’t have cable, but most broadcast TV is also available to stream from the networks. It looks like both those shows fit the latter category. Hope that helps!

Sherri, I was part of a community theatre in high school and college that was in a tin building. It was hot as hades and when it rained too heavily, you had to draw the curtain and wait it out, because no one could hear a thing. The Oregon festival sounds like great fun, and I know that Seattle has a thriving theatre scene. When she lived there our daughter went to several shows that were in workshop for Broadway, including Next to Normal.

Minnie said on July 31, 2014 at 10:50 am

When I was about five, my parents drove up from Mississippi to see relatives in Iowa. On the way we stopped in Hannibal, Missouri, to pay tribute to Mark Twain. My parents had read Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn to me more than once, and I was a fan. Didn’t know whether I was Becky Thatcher or Huck. Was enamoured of The Duke and The King. Anyway, we saw Samuel Clemens’ boyhood house, the fence, and visited the cave where Huck’s father dies in such an unenviable way. Such was the power of that scene and the lingering malevolence of the character that when we got to the mouth, I couldn’t step inside.

MarkH said on July 31, 2014 at 11:01 am

Deborah — While on your way to the Big Horns, and since you’re taking the blue highways, peel off to Wyoming Highway 24 on your way west. It will take you through the town of Aladdin, currently for sale. A general store, post office a few homes and 30 acres at the edge of the black hills can be yours for a mere $1.5 million.

At Wind Cave, you immediately descend 162 steps* (there is a handrail, but the passage is fairly narrow), and then progress along the lighted path, which starts out narrow and then gets larger and larger – including some genuinely impressively large caverns**.

And – depending whether the atmospheric pressure is ‘high’ or ‘low’, there is a constant wind (inbound or outbound, respectively) at the natural opening of the cave.

And winter or summer, it’s always 53 degrees in there, which is just this-side of cold!

*I believe they told us there are 320 total stairs along the path*** – mostly downward but with some upward – and then a (welcome!) elevator at the end.

**IIRC – we got to see 10% of Wind Cave; the rest is open only to people who know what they’re doing, and/or unexplored!

***the pathway was installed during the Depression by WPA (or whichever FDR-era programs) – and remains original, although the lighting was updated

and see their headlines and so on – you won’t see one word about the House’s stupid lawsuit against the POTUS.

But you WILL see the word “brazen” on three different features/headlines.

So – we know what the orders for today are, from flailing Ailes, et al

MarkH said on July 31, 2014 at 12:21 pm

Checked your link, Brian and the story is indeed there, albeit below in the ‘latest news’ section. Typically for them (and appropriately) they are heavy on the immigration story. And ‘brazen’ is not an inappropriate word for some of what is going on down there.

On a lighter note, since this is pretty much a journo-based site, thought I’d share one of last night’s Daily Show segments, where they waded into Nancy’s territory, both professionally and geographically. Hilarious.

Typically for them (and appropriately) they are heavy on the immigration story. I will agree that it is altogether ‘appropriate’ that the border/refugee story is the biggie biggie. As long as there has been a United States of America, refugees (sometimes a lot more than other times) have streamed this way.

And ‘brazen’ is not an inappropriate word for some of what is going on down there.

Again, I will agree that that word applies “for some of what is going on down there”; chiefly to our own latter-day know-nothing folks who shout hateful things and demean our flag and mock our founding principles; and also the profiteers and human traffickers, who are surfing the waves of human despair and desperation for a quick buck or two.

But somehow, I don’t think that’s what Fox intends to label “brazen”…unless Oxy-Rush’s next kiddy-“history” book is about all those stinking Irish Catholics who should never have been allowed to come here, or those protestant krauts, or the damned Poles.

See, the problem is – people who aren’t white are just UP TO NO GOOD!

Basset said on July 31, 2014 at 4:35 pm

Brian, why do you hate America?

brian stouder said on July 31, 2014 at 4:54 pm

Why does a dog chase cars? Why does Lucy put up with Ricky? Why did the turkey cross the road? Why would the Pillsberry doughboy make me want to bake his kin?

Why, indeedy?!

Deborah said on July 31, 2014 at 7:28 pm

In Greybull, WY on the west side of the Big Horns. Really tired and it’s very hot here.

Mark H, I didn’t read your comment about the tow for sale until we were way past it.

We had breakfast in Custer, SD with my niece who got married in MN this past weekend, and her new husband. I found out through Facebook that they were staying in Hill City, SD and we were staying 40 Miles south of there in Hot Springs, SD. So we met inbetween in Custer. They aren’t taking thier honeymoon until January but wanted to get out of town so took thier RV for a trip west to the SD/WY border. How’s that for a coincidence?

Deborah said on July 31, 2014 at 7:35 pm

Town for sale

James Moehrke said on July 31, 2014 at 9:44 pm

The cave dark I remember best was that moment the guide turned out the light deep in an iron mine outside Ely, MN. We were half a mile underground at the Soudan Underground Mine State Park. Elevator ride down, mine cars to ride and a walking tour. What’s not to like? I don’t think they turned off the lights in the salt mine tour we did in Austria, but that one did include an underground lake and a boat ride. That was cool, too.

MarkH said on July 31, 2014 at 10:33 pm

Deborah– Wanna meet Wilford Brimley? He lives in Greybull. He likes to eat at the Uptown Café and enjoys meeting fans, or so I’ve heard.

Have a great rest of your trip!

Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on July 31, 2014 at 11:10 pm

Basset, I once got a pretty good sermon out of that ranger comment at Mammoth Cave . . . “how many miles of unexplored cave are there?”

MichaelG said on August 1, 2014 at 12:35 am

I had breakfast at the Uptown Café in Sacto this AM.

Dave said on August 1, 2014 at 1:11 am

Greybull, WY, Deborah? Really. I have a good friend who lives there, a retired railroader, just like myself. No, I’ve never been there, how we met is another story.

He’s had frequent Wilford sightings in the local supermarket. He tells me that Wilford has placed his ranch on the market. Oh, and he’s definitely not excited that Ted Nugent is coming to town sometime this month, I believe.

Basset said on August 1, 2014 at 5:38 am

JeffTMMO, I knew if I mentioned it enough times someone would get some use out of it.

Basset said on August 1, 2014 at 5:40 am

And what is the Nuge going to do in Greybull, Wyoming? Maybe shoot some more does over corn for his tv show?

Dave said on August 1, 2014 at 8:45 am

I had to look it up, Basset. He’s speaking at the Big Horn Basin Tea Party, it’s on a ranch 15 miles from Greybull. My friend calls himself the only liberal in Wyoming, outside of Jackson Hole. He’s lived there most all of his life.